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About this project

Summary

Terence McKenna is a legend in the
psychedelic community: He is
remembered as a radical philosopher, futurist, raconteur, and cultural
commentator. He was and is one of
the most articulate spokesmen for the post-psychedelic zeitgeist. He is one of
the prime originators of the 2012 mythos with all its attendent apocalyptarian
anxiety. I am the younger brother of Terence McKenna. I want to write a memoir
telling the real story of our intertwined life together over the last 60 years,
and of the ideas, adventures, and explorations (both inner and outer) that we
shared. I am Terence’s only brother; I am the only one who can tell this tale,
from this unique perspective. Terence died in 2000, but his ideas live on the
Net and in his books (e.g. True Hallucinations, Food of the Gods, The Archaic
Revival, The Invisible Landscape and others). The time has come to tell his
story; in reality, it is our story.

Full Project Description

For those who lived through
what is sometimes called the Psychedelic Revolution, Terence McKenna is a
legend. Once characterized as ‘the intellectual’s Timothy Leary’ Terence
attained iconic status as a radical philosopher, futurist, raconteur, and
cultural commentator. His unorthodox ideas about the cultural, societal, and
evolutionary impact of psychedelic drugs shocked many, and resonated with many
others. Our fateful expedition to
the Amazon in 1971 together with a small coterie of fellow seekers bent on
uncovering the real mystery behind the psychedelic experience has become
contemporary myth, chronicled in his book, True Hallucinations. Terence’s
unorthodox ideas about time and the nature of history that were triggered by
those adventures provided fertile ground for the emergence of the current
apocalyptarian mythos surrounding 2012, the eagerly anticipated (and/or
dreaded) end of the world as we know it. Sadly, Terence died in 2000 from
terminal brain cancer; he will never know if his ideas about 2012 and the end
of time are true. But Terence has achieved a kind of virtual immortality. Ghost-like, he haunts the Net; a
talking head in Youtube space, the articulate prophet of an end-time that he
did not live to see. His books are still read, (e.g. True Hallucinations, Food
of the Gods, The Archaic Revival, The Evolutionary Mind, The Invisible
Landscape and others), his voice and image is as close as the click of a mouse,
his ideas, as fresh and timely as though they were uttered yesterday. He lives
on as the beloved pater familias of a younger generation of psychedelic
seekers; most of them were still in diapers when Terence was at the peak of his
public career.

I am the younger brother of
Terence McKenna. We grew up together in a small town in Western Colorado during
the 50’s and 60’s; we traveled to the Amazon together in 1971, as brothers and
friends, as fellow seekers. We called ourselves, self-mockingly, The
Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss (even on the cusp of uncovering the
mysteries of existence we managed to keep a sense of humor; it helped to be
Irish). We went in search of we knew not what; only that it was a profound
insight, unspeakable, beyond comprehension, and that it would change us, and
everything, forever. We were right
on both counts, though not in the ways we imagined.

Our trip to the Amazon in
1971 is chronicled in The Invisible Landscape, the book we co-authored and
published in 1975 in an attempt to construct a rational explanation for the
things that we experienced. Terence described the adventure again in True
Hallucinations (HarperOne, 1994), more honestly, and with less technobabble,
still with important elements elided, or deliberately omitted. That expedition, and what has been
memorialized in the annals of psychedelia as the Experiment at La Chorrera, was
the pivotal event in both of our lives.
We were both young when it happened; Terence was a young man of 24; I
was a mere lad of 20. We have been
haunted ever since by the memory of those curious events that overtook us in
that primeval rainforest.

Terence McKenna only had one
brother. I am that brother. I shared the entire span of his lifetime,
collaborated with him in the creation and evolution of many of ‘his’
ideas. Together we traveled to the
ends of the earth, together we explored the outer limits of psychedelic
experience seeking answers to the astonishing mysteries of time, mind, and the
improbable reality of existence on earth.
During the decades that followed La Chorrera, we went on with our lives,
at times together, at times separately. Terence became the spokesman for the
alien dimensions accessed through psychedelics, the philosopher of the
unspeakable, a beloved and sometimes reviled bard of the outer limits of human
experience. By choice and inclination, I remained in the background, pursuing a
career in science, disciplines that ranged from ethnopharmacology to
neuroscience.

Ever cognizant of the
limitations of science, knowing that what had happened to us was unlikely to
yield to rational investigation, nevertheless I continued to chip away around
the edges of the mysteries that had so preoccupied us at La Chorrera. Terence departed this corporeal plane
in April 2000 while I remained behind to witness the opening decade of the third
millennium, a millennium that, by all early indications, will be far stranger,
far more disturbing, and far more full of both hope and despair than any that
humanity has endured so far.

As our troubled planet
spirals toward the singularity point of December 21st, 2012, I feel
compelled to tell our story. It is
a story that only I can tell, and the time has come. Whether or not 12/21/2012 will mark the collapse of the
continuum, global catastrophe, a new era of enlightened consciousness, or
merely a small tremor in the psychic evolution of the human species, I do not
know; nor, I venture to say, does anyone.

This story needs to be told,
and I need your help to tell it. This is my reason for posting this project on
Kickstarter.com. Through the unique funding mechanism of Kickstarter.com, I am
seeking help from friends and fans of "Terry & Denny" and members
of the psychedelic community to enable me to write this story. The unfortunate
reality in these days is that time is money. Many of us spend so much time just
trying to get by that we don’t have time for the creative projects that we
would all rather be doing. I'm caught in this trap, as are a lot of
people. But with your support, I’m
seeking a temporary escape; I’m seeking to buy the time to tell the tale that I
know I have to tell. I’m betting that
it’s one that many people will want to hear, whether they lived through the
psychedelic revolution of the sixties or are younger members of the new
psychedelic renaissance, or are simply curious about one of the stranger tales
of the latter 20th century.
If you think this is a tale worth telling, if you would like to read it,
then help me ‘clear the decks’ by pledging your support in exchange for one or
more of the incentives listed on the project website.

As I sit here in April 2011,
thinking about the time line for the project, my goal is to have the book
completed and available to the world by the end of September 2012. How will these funds be used? My goal is to raise $80,000, which may
sound like a lot, and it is.
Approximately half of it (35 to 45 thousand) will be used to
self-publish 10,000 hard cover copies of the book, and also to pay for editing,
layout, publicity, and order fulfillment.
I have identified a reputable self-publisher who will work closely with
me through all stages of this process.
The remainder of the funds (35 to 40 thousand) will be used to buy time,
to partially defray expenses over the 9 to 12 months that I estimate it will
take to research and write the book in a way that does justice to the story. If
you want to contribute to the realization of this creative project, and receive
something very special in return, then I respectfully request your
support. I promise you a ripping
good read!

FAQ

Have a question?
If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.

Rewards

Pledge $1 or more

Pledge $5 or more

My eternal gratitude and your name added to my mailing list where you can track progress on the book and read occasional items of interest.

You selected

Pledge $20 or more

49 backers

Everything in the one above, plus a PDF copy of the book when completed

You selected

Pledge $35 or more

452 backers

Everything above, plus an autographed, hard copy of the book when completed

You selected

Pledge $70 or more

46 backers

Everything above, plus 2 autographed copies of the book with a personal message; OR -- 1 autographed copy, plus an autographed DVD of selected audio/video talks by Terence and Dennis McKenna.

You selected

Pledge $90 or more

13 backers
Limited (12 left of 25)

All incentives offered at the $35 and lower levels, including one autographed hard copy of the book. In addition, backers at this level will receive an autographed copy of Journey Through the Spheres, a CD of Terence's talks interspersed with musical pieces. This CD was lovingly put together to honor Terence's passing by the Novelty Group. There are only 25 copies in existence. One of them can be yours in return for a $90 pledge.

You selected

Pledge $90 or more

17 backers
Limited (33 left of 50)

This is a new incentive at the $90 level, thanks to friends Richard Meech, creator of the incredible documentary Vine of the Souls, and Mitch Schultz,creator of another incredible documentary DMT: The Spirit Molecule, already known to many in our community. Thanks to their support, I can now offer up to 50 backers a dual set of both DVDs, autographed by the creators, and me (I am a talking head in both films). These are one of a kind documentaries on the topics of ayahuasca and DMT, respectively. And, an added benefit of opting for this incentive: immediate gratification! You won't have to wait for the book to be finishes to collect your reward; these DVDs can go out within a week (or so) of the end of the pledge period.

You selected

Pledge $100 or more

196 backers

All items above, plus your name included as a “patron” in the Acknowledgements section of the book.

You selected

Pledge $130 or more

30 backers
All gone!

Backers at this level will receive everything included in the $100 level, plus a free pass to the EvolverIntensives.com webinar series, coming up in June and July. There are only 10 passes available at this incentive level.

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

5 backers

All items above, plus an advance peek at one of the chapters (PDF).

You selected

Pledge $510 or more

5 backers
Limited (25 left of 30)

Backers at this level will receive everything promised at the $500 level, plus a copy of a limited edition poster of the iconic photograph that has been posted as the 'theme' for this Kickstarter project, namely Terry and Denny gazing into the abyss. I intend to make a number of high-resolution copies of this image; 30 of them will be offered as incentives at this new level.

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

2 backers

All items above, plus a two-hour Skype video conference call with the donor and a selected group of friends.

You selected

Pledge $1,010 or more

2 backers
Limited (8 left of 10)

At some point soon after the book is complete I intend to create an audiobook version of the book, that will be read in my voice. Backers who choose this level will receive everything promised at the lower levels (except for those that are limited), an iconic poster, a PDF of the chapter, and a copy of the audio book at least six months in advance of its release to the open market. This incentive is limited to the first 10 backers who choose it.

You selected

Pledge $2,500 or more

0 backers
Limited (1 left of 1)

There's a new incentive at the $2500 level that is kind of unique. For one thing, it's an auction, available to only one backer. Please consult update #15 for details about this incentive

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

1 backer

After the book is complete, I will travel to your city and present a one-day workshop to the patron and a selected group of friends (I will request an additional contribution to cover 50% of airfare and accommodation expenses). This reward level will also include 2 autographed hard cover copies of the book, or one autographed copy + one autographed DVD collection as you prefer.

You selected

Pledge $5,000 or more

1 backer
All gone!

This is another unique item that I'm auctioning to the highest bidder, starting at the incentive level of $5000. When Terence & I first wrote the Invisible Landscape, several years before it was published, we gave it another name: Shamanic Investigations. There are only four copies of this book in existence. I own two of them. I will give an autographed copy of one of them to the highest bidder, starting at a minimum bid of $5000. This incentive is available to only one backer. Please consult update #15 for details about this incentive

Funding period

Apr 7, 2011 - Jun 6, 2011
(60 days)

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